wesselmann



No. 607,720. Patented July I9, 1898.-

B. WESSELMANN.

BALL EASTER.

(Application filed Dec. :3, 1896.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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N0. 607,720. Patented July l9, I898.

- B. WESSELMANN.

BALL CASTER. (A liemoi filed Dec. a, 1996. (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheei 2. v

NITED STATES BRUNO \VESSELMANN, OF GGTTINGEN, GERMANY.

BALL-CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,720, dated July 19, 1898.

Application filed December 3, 1896. Serial No. 614,326. (No model.) Patented in Germany November 6, 1896, No. 93,169,

I and in England November 20, 1896,110. 26,223.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BRUNO 'WEssELMANN, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Gottingen, in the Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Casters, (for which I have obtained German Letters Patent N 0. 93,169, dated November 6, 1896, and British Letters Patent No. 26,223, dated November 20,1896,) of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to furniture-casters, and has for its object to provide an extremely simple, strong, and durable caster in which the friction shall be minimized and which shall be capable of being manufactured at slight cost, and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claim following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section of the caster with ball and secured by slipping onto the foot of the article of furniture. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section along a; 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in vertical section a caster with plate attachment. Fig. 4 is a section along 3 3 Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a vertical section of a furniture-caster in which a roller is applied in place of a ball. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 5.

The ball 70, Figs. 1 and 2, rests over or chiefly over a contraction at the lower end of the tube 1* and travels on the friction-balls f, which by means of the loose cross a are held uniformly separated. The above-named parts are passed from above into the tube or housing 0', and a plate 19 is then inserted as a bearing, which plate has a channeled rim, into which along its entire circumference the shell of the tube is pressed by suitable tools, as readily seen in the drawings. The entire assembling of the caster is thus effected in a very solid and simple manner.

If the upper end of the tube is kept somewhat longer, Fig. 1, it can serve for securing the caster to the furniture-foot m. caster is to be provided with an attaching- If the plate I), Fig. 3, the latter can be slipped over or about the tube end and secured by spreading the latter by means of the correspondingly-thickened plate 1).

- In using a caster-roller Z, Figs. 5 and 6, carried by the cross-axle o, sitting in the short tube-piece a, the inwardly-pressed rim of the tubular housing r extends about the rim of the cap 25 of the tubular piece, whereby the latter is held in the housing 0". Upon said cap travel the friction balls f, which are pressed against the bearing-plate p. This plate is provided below with a stud a, serving as a swivel-axis for the tube-piece a.

It is clear that the described arrangement of the new caster makes the latter cheap of manufacture, especially since for the tubular housing waste pieces of velocipede or bicycle factories can be used. Moreover, the caster becomes extremely durable, is of light weight,

and obtains a graceful neat appearance.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture the herein-described furniture-caster consisting of a shell formed from a single piece of metallic tubing, a rotatable support arranged and retained therein,a round bearing-plate arranged in said tubing above the rotatable support and provided upon its periphery with a groove, a ball-spacing plate loosely arranged in said tubing between the bearing-plate and the rotatable support, antifriction-balls arranged in the recesses of said spacing-plate and having a rolling bearing on the rotatable support and bearing-plate, said tubing being pressed into the groove in the periphery of the bearing-plate to rigidly fix and hold the latter against end thrust, and the upper end of the tubing being extended above the said groove and constructed for attachment to an article of furniture, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BRUNO WESSELMANN. Witnesses:

W. HAUPT,

CHARLES H. DAY. 

